This invention relates to energetic aromatic compounds and more particularly to energetic aromatic nitrate esters.
Missile systems often require explosives that can withstand short-term (30 minutes) exposure to temperatures in the vicinity of 150.degree. C. and above due to aerodynamic heating. Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) is the highest melting of the commonly available nitrate esters, but its melting point (140.degree. C.) precludes its use in such missiles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,255 titled, "High Melting Aromatic Nitrate Esters," which issued to Michael E. Sitzmann on Jan. 14, 1992, discloses several higher melting nitrate esters. These esters generally contain one or more --NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 ONO.sub.2 amine groups attached to the aromatic ring. The --NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 ONO.sub.2 groups in the aromatic nitrate esters are produced by nitration of --NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH substituents on the aromatic ring. It can sometimes be difficult to control the nitration of --NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH so that the initially formed NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 ONO.sub.2 groups are not further nitrated (N-nitration) to give --N(NO.sub.2)CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 ONO.sub.2. The --N(NO.sub.2)CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 ONO.sub. 2 group is often not desirable because it tends to produce lower melting and less stable aromatic nitrate esters compared to --NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 ONO.sub.2.
It would be desirable to provide energetic aromatic esters that are easier to produce and which have greater thermal stability than those presently available.